Gothic 1 Remake Guide: How To Join The New Camp
Earning the respect of a camp full of heavily armed thieves takes a lot more than just asking nicely.
The New Camp sits out in the hills on the western side of the Colony, acting as a haven for mercenaries, rogues, and Water Mages who want absolutely nothing to do with the strict rules of the Old Camp. If you plan on building a high dexterity rogue or want to eventually sling ice and chain lightning spells, this is your home. Just be warned that gaining admission here requires completing the longest and most complicated faction questline in the game. You are going to be running errands, diving into flooded basements, and staging highway robberies before they ever hand you a uniform.
Surviving The Trek West
Before you decide to blindly run into the western wilderness alone, you need a plan. The roads are packed with monsters that will tear an unarmored convict to shreds.
The Mordrag Escort
The absolute best way to reach the camp safely is by using a rogue named Mordrag as a free bodyguard. You can find him hanging around the south gate of the Old Camp. Before you talk to him, pick up the Out of Sight quest from Thorus. Ask Mordrag about his work as a messenger, and he offers to escort you to his boss out west. Accept the offer and follow close behind him. He will slaughter every enemy along the path, guaranteeing you safe passage. When you arrive, he hands you Mordrag's Ring. Keep this ring safe.
The Drax Alternative
If you somehow messed up the Mordrag interaction, you can use a hunter named Drax as a backup guide. Head north from the Old Camp bridge to find his small hunting camp. To get his help, you have to find his missing Hunter's Knife. Walk north until you spot a large dead tree with a skeleton embedded with arrows. Grab the knife from the dirt nearby, hand it to Drax, and he will agree to walk you the rest of the way.
Infiltrating The Ranks
Once you actually step foot inside the camp, you need to find the local leadership and get your bearings.
Buying A Map And Meeting Cronos
Walk past the rice fields, head up the hill, and push through the dam until you enter a massive cavern. Look for a purple glowing light in the settlement area. You will find a Water Mage named Cronos standing there. Talk to him immediately and buy the map of the New Camp for 37 Ore Nuggets so you stop getting lost. Keep in mind that while you are surrounded by Water Mages, they will not actually teach you their magic until Chapter 4.
Bypassing Roscoe
Your main target is Lares. Head to the left side of the cave and climb the long staircase to find his office. A guard named Roscoe blocks the door. You have a few ways to get past him. If you let Mordrag escort you, just flash Mordrag's Ring and Roscoe will step aside. If you lack the ring, you can use a Charm scroll on him. You can easily get a Charm scroll by speaking to Baal Kagan down near the base of the hill and completing his Canvassing Customers quest.
Gaining Lares' Trust
Once you get inside the office, Lares is not going to just hand you a job. You have to prove you are useful. You can hand over Mordrag's Ring to instantly win his favor. Alternatively, if you are doing the Test of Faith quest for Diego, you can show Lares the List of Requirements from the Old Mine. Doing this unlocks a crucial quest path later, so I highly recommend showing him the list before you take it back to Diego.
The Five Admission Quests
Lares and the local Rice Lord demand that you complete a gauntlet of tasks before they officially welcome you to the faction.
Navigating The Hardest Tasks
A few of these admission quests feature highly specific triggers that can easily leave you running in circles.
The Swampweed Hustle
For A Piece of the Pie, you have to get inside the tavern. The guards will block you. You can either pay them a flat 100 Ore bribe or put on a Digger's Dress and claim you are a scraper. Once inside, find Baal Isidro. Buy him a rice schnapps from Silas and lie to him, saying Baal Kagan is about to replace him. He panics and gives you a massive stash of swampweed to sell. Take that entire stash straight upstairs to a merchant named Cipher. He buys the whole lot for exactly 400 Ore. Take that cash directly to Lares to finish the job. If you accidentally spend the cash on gear, you will have to reference my guide on farming Ore to make it back.
Diving For Evidence
Up to His Neck is a fantastic murder mystery. The Rice Lord wants you to find a foreman named Bran. Talk to Malon politely, and he points you to a cave near a pond settlement. Beat up a thug named Jacko inside the cave to learn Bran went to rob the tavern basement.
Do not bother trying to lockpick the heavily guarded basement door inside the tavern. Walk around behind the building near the fishing pier. Dive into the water and swim through a submerged cave entrance. You will pop up right inside the cellar. Walk up the stairs to find Bran's corpse. Loot Bran's Axe from Silas's nearby chest as hard evidence. Swim back out, confront Silas about the murder, and report back to the Rice Lord for your XP.
Triggering The Ambush
The Raid is your final exam. You only get this quest if you showed Lares the Old Mine list earlier. Head to the road between the Old Mine and the Old Camp to find a stuck carriage. Sneak up the mound above it to find Wedge and his bandits waiting. Walk down to the front guard and choose the dialogue option offering to help him find wood to free the wheels. This distracts him perfectly, allowing the bandits to strike. Once the guards are knocked out, loot their bodies, talk to Wedge, and return to Lares.
Reaping The Rewards
Once you wrap up The Raid, Lares officially acknowledges your worth. The Admission to the New Camp quest completes, locking you permanently into the faction.
Your immediate reward is a massive 1500 XP drop and a free Bandit's Dress to replace whatever rags you were wearing. You now have full run of the camp, access to all the faction specific trainers, and you are officially on the long path to learning Water Magic.
